Happy New Year!

I can’t think of many better ways to start a new year than getting in the studio and making a quilt. And with that in mind, I have created the #viraquiltalong for my newest pattern, Vira.

The Vira pattern uses the magic of color value (as do all of my patterns) and the Ruby Ruler® to create a super scrappy look using favorite fabrics from your stash, but in a controlled, intentional way. The background is filled with repeating light and dark diamonds, and over them is a spray of little sawtooth stars. It’s a design that is full of ways to really change it up and make it your own.

If you are new to my way of making very scrappy quilts, have a look at this post to learn more about creating shapes and forms in a quilt design using color value.

For the original Vira sample quilt, I was searching for color inspiration when I came across the Kohuko Rose Rice sack in the image above. Drawn to the red shade–which is not a true red (which I do not use much because it’s not a favorite), but instead, a soft pink. It felt like a fun challenge to play with the idea of a star quilt in red, white, and blue, but done in a way that uses fabrics and tones more personal to my own tastes. My thought was to have the stars “twinkle” over the background, The result is exactly what I was thinking.

But now I’m super excited to make another sample, totally different!

The quiltalong is 4 weeks long. Each week we’ll have a prompt or action step to keep us progressing forward. I’ll release a new video to share tips on all parts of making this quilt. It’s an easy schedule, and I love the accountability of a quiltalong!

It’s absolutely free to join us and follow along. But if you really want to implement the steps and make the quilt, you will need the pattern.

I have created a homepage for all the Vira quiltalong information. Be sure to bookmark that page, or better yet, sign up for emails to be sent directly to your inbox each Monday.

You’ll find my updates on the Vira I’ll be making over on my Instagram feed.